The use of threaded wheel studs and lugs for securing wheels to hubs on the axles of motor vehicles is well-known. Such studs are typically installed by inserting them through circumferentially spaced bores in a hub to which a wheel is to be attached. One end of conventional wheel studs typically comprises a head and an adjacent shaft portion adapted to be driven into tight frictional engagement with a hub bore. The other end of the wheel stud is adapted to be inserted through a coaxially-aligned bore in tee wheel that is intended to be mounted on the hub. An appropriately sized lug is thereafter threadedly secured to the wheel stud to hold the wheel against the hub. The length, diameter, thread configuration, number and circumferential spacing of the wheel studs needed to secure a wheel to a hub can vary according to numerous factors including, for example, the type, make and size of vehicle, the intended use, the hub and wheel configuration, and the like.
It is not uncommon for wheel studs to be bent, broken or stripped during use or when lugs are tightened using air wrenches. In the past, the installation of a new wheel stud has typically required removing the hub from the axle, securing it in a vise or the like, and thereafter inserting the threaded portion of the wheel stud outwardly through a bore in the hub, and driving the head end of the wheel stud into tight frictional engagement with the hub. Most often, wheel studs are driven into tight frictional engagement with a hub by pounding on the head of the stud with a hammer. Unfortunately, this method of installation frequently causes the studs to be bent or misaligned during installation, or causes damage to the threads. The mechanical stresses caused by these problems in turn lead to further failures during use.
The difficulties associated with replacing damaged or broken wheel studs, particularly with large trucks, has led to the use of "dummy studs" in an effort to avoid detection by regulatory authorities. Unfortunately, the use of such "dummy studs" is dangerous and increases the risk of accident and injury to other motor vehicle users sharing the roadways.
An apparatus and method for installing wheel studs are therefor needed that do not require a wheel stud to be pounded into frictional engagement with a hub, and that avoid the need for removing the hub from the axle to install a new stud.